Yum Yum!

Last week, Craig and I were in the mood to make a sweet treat. One that was easy, very yummy, and a recipe that we had all the ingredients for. Well, we found it! They are peanut butter balls. They are so good, I've made the recipe twice since then, so three times in one week! Wow! Not good for the waistline I'm trying to shrink, but oh well! One has to splurge on something! Anyway, I thought I'd share the recipe with you.

Peanut Butter Balls (found in the Better Homes and Gardens cookbook-I modified the recipe a little)

1/2 c. peanut butter

3 Tbsp. of butter (softened)

1 c. powdered sugar

8 oz. dipping chocolate (I just used chocolate chips)

Mix together the peanut butter and the butter until well incorporated. Gradually add the powdered sugar. Roll into little balls (The recipe says 1-inch balls, but who measures anyway!) and set on wax paper lined cookie sheet or plate. Melt the chocolate in the microwave. Dip the balls in the chocolate using a fork. I tapped the fork on the container the chocolate was in to get rid of the excess chocolate. After all the balls are dipped, place in the refrigerator to set up the chocolate. They are ready when the chocolate is not shiny.

I am not a candy maker, therefore, I cannot dip things in chocolate without them looking like a mess. I somehow also made the balls look like misshapen blobs! Hehe! I don't care though! I'm just going to eat them anyway!

Happy Birthday!

My little girl is 3 months old today! She has grown so much in just the past month. She can now smile a lot, she can laugh, she loves to look around everywhere, she talks a lot, and she can even grab and play with toys! She even rolled over once! I look back at her newborn pictures and remember how small she was. She is getting so big! I don't know exactly how much she weighs, but she is definitely over 10 pounds! She is such a joy to me and her daddy's life and we feel so blessed that she is a part of our family! Happy Three-month Birthday, Ella! Mom and Dad love you so much! (This picture was actually taken yesterday, but she's close enough to 3-months. It's one of my favorites so far!)

Ella's Special Day

Yes, I know. Two posts in one day. Anyway, yesterday was a special day for our little girl. It was her blessing day. Her daddy blessed her and it was such a nice blessing. He was sooooo nervous, but he didn't even show it! The circle was small, because a few of Craig's friends were supposed to be there, but they didn't show. So, Craig's twin brother Keith, my dad, my brother Marc, and our brother-in-law John (my sister's husband), and Craig's friend Nate were in the circle. Craig's parents are on a mission, so his dad was not able to participate. Ella was so pretty in her beautiful blessing gown! Thanks to my mom for putting in the time to make it!

After Sacrament Meeting, all of our family gathered at our house (well technically his parents' house because we're house-sitting while they are gone) and had a great time visiting and eating. It was a pot-luck style get together, and everybody brought some delicious food! After everybody left, we Skyped Craig's parents, so they were able to take part in the day in some way. It was a very nice day and it was wonderful to be able to be with both our families at once.

Both of our families together

Happy little family

Full view of her dress

Matthew (my nephew) holding Ella

My sister Kerin, her husband John, and Matthew

Keith (Craig's twin) and his daughter Ashlynn

Kerin, my dad, and Craig's sister Melissa

Camping in the Rain!

Last weekend (Labor Day Weekend), we went camping with Craig's two sisters and their families. Our first plan was to go up Friday evening and everybody else would go up Saturday morning, and come home sometime on Monday. It started storming down here in the valley, so we decided to not risk driving a long distance in a storm. Plus, it would be hard to find a camping spot in the dark. So, we decided to leave bright and early Saturday morning. We left around 6am. We took Craig's Altima because it's bigger than my Cobalt and we definitely needed the room with a baby and a dog! We almost didn't get everything fit in the Altima, but Craig is the master of making things fit!

We got up to the usual place and of course our spot was taken, but we found a place just as nice, except for all the traffic of quads that went by. We got set up and really enjoyed the day. The others got there around 1:00 or 2:00 in the afternoon, and it started to rain just soon after they finished setting up. It lasted for about an hour, but was very enjoyable. We had bought a canopy with a bug net so Ella could sit under it and not get bugged by bugs (haha!) or get too much sun. We did not have any problem with too much sun! After the rain let up, we finished getting all our stuff in the tents and so on. It started to get pretty chilly an never got warm the rest of the trip.

The next day was miserable after around 11am. It not only rained, but it stormed, and was downright cold! I think the temp. was around 40 degrees. Yes. In Arizona. In the summer. We were prepared, though! Anyway, the rain never really let up, so around 3 or 4pm, Craig and I stared packing up to leave with poor Ella bundled up in her carseat in the car. And that was Ella's first camping trip. I wouldn't call it a bust. We had lots of fun the first day and a half. It was an adventure, and I love adventures!